Luanda: Morocco Advocates for a Preventive Approach to Strengthen Peace and Security in Africa

Saturday 29 August 2026 - 14:02

Meeting in Luanda for a special session dedicated to African mechanisms for conflict prevention, Nasser Bourita called for a more proactive approach. The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs believes that sustainable prevention requires addressing the root causes of crises and better linking peace, security, and development.

Prevention must become a strategic reflex for Africa. This was the message conveyed on Saturday in Luanda by Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Living Abroad, during the 26th extraordinary session of the African Union (AU) Executive Council.

This meeting is focused on strengthening continental mechanisms aimed at preventing and resolving conflicts. For Morocco, the challenge now is to move beyond reactive responses once crises have emerged and to take action earlier.

Addressing Causes Rather Than Consequences

In his speech, Nasser Bourita emphasized the necessity of tackling the structural causes of conflicts. This approach places development on the same level as the security and political dimensions of prevention.

The minister advocated for a true peace-security-development nexus, asserting that the stability of the continent cannot be sustainable if the economic, social, and institutional factors that can fuel tensions are not addressed.

This vision aims to make prevention a fundamental tool of the African peace and security policy.

Morocco Reaffirms Support for the Luanda Initiative

The Kingdom also renewed its support for the objectives of the extraordinary session of the AU Executive Council.

Nasser Bourita highlighted the importance of better coherence between the actions of the African Union and those of the United Nations. For Rabat, this complementarity should help enhance the effectiveness of conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms on the continent.

The implementation of the Luanda Action Plan aligns with this logic of coordination among the various levels of the international peace and security architecture.

Towards a New Phase for the African Peace and Security Architecture

The meeting in Luanda also focuses on strengthening and operationalizing the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA).

The discussions are expected to lead to the adoption of a decision dedicated to this architecture, as well as the Luanda Action Plan and its implementation matrix.

These instruments should provide operational translations of the commitments made by African states and enhance the continent's capabilities in anticipation, prevention, and crisis resolution.

A Diplomacy Focused on Anticipation

Through its intervention, Morocco advocates for a conception of peace that is not limited to managing open conflicts. The emphasis on prevention reflects a desire to promote mechanisms capable of identifying tension factors early enough and acting before they escalate.

In Luanda, this approach was accompanied by a call to strengthen coordination between African actors and the United Nations. This is a major issue as the African Peace and Security Architecture seeks to consolidate its instruments and improve their implementation on the ground.